The Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) as an organization focusing on the social reform through Christianity was formed in the United States in 1874, among other already established organizations targeting the suffrage of women. One of the core values of the WCTU was the ideal of the “Victorian doctrine of a separate women’s sphere” , which emphasized a view of a submissive, domestic woman and wife. The temperance movement in the United States started due to the widespread consumption of alcohol in the 19th century. Also, through urbanization and an emergence of a new middle-class, a broader spectrum of women started an involvement in social reforms. Furthermore, the development of universal education laid groundwork for the institutional development for many organizations like the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. The WCTU grew in size and in 1884 organized an international mission to embark into other regions of the world. The reason of the expansive involvement of women in the WCTU which led to their development in such a scale was the values that lied at the core of the movement. Advocating for a true womanhood through Victorian doctrine did not challenge or try to disrupt existing gender norms, and therefore could be described as easily palatable for a middle-class white housewife of the late 19th century.

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 On the ground of this, the goal that the organization set their international mission to, was among others the enlightenment of women in Asia and the spread of Christian values around the world, a “regeneration of the world according to Evangelism and temperance.”  This was welcomed by Japanese society of the time and Victorian thoughts on womanhood were accepted due to the state of societal relations in Meiji Japan.

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Through the Meiji restauration in 1868, westernization and industrialization were put on the forefront of Japans goals for the future. Japanese society was seen embracing western ideas and ideologies in an effort to become a more successful, modern nation and therefore made a perfect ground for Christian Missionary work. Trough modern nation building of the Japanese state, a universal education was pushed and schools above the elementary level were opened for both sexes. Many Japanese women sought out education for themselves and through this saw an education by a western missionary school as a good way to do so, which contributed to the wide and open acceptance of Christian missionary work. With this, the WCTU also found itself largely accepted to share their ideas with the Japanese population. What is important to note is that this was not solely due to a wish for modernization and westernization but also has roots in the view of many Japanese people at the time. While essential views on gender roles from the Tokugawa era were maintained into the following Meiji period, assorted changes happened through the government, bringing change to the lives of women in Japan. In 1871, the feudalistic caste system was abolished, advancing lower-class women in society while perceptively disadvantaging legitimate wives of higher standing. Intermarriages across class lines remained a possibility and concubinage a common sight in society. This upheld the system to grant wives and therefore concubines equal relation with the husband, upsetting many women and men in Meiji time Japan. From this, the Christian ideals of husband and wife seemed highly appealing due to the alignment with the thoughts of many Japanese people of the time. One of the most influential movements emerging from this was the Meiji-Six society, founded on February 1st 1874. They identified themselves with the Christian ideas, denouncing concubinage and calling for an equal bond of man and woman in marriage, borrowing the western ideal of womanhood with an emphasis on the woman as a wise mother and a good, but rather submissive, wife.

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One of the people captivated by western ideas of virtue like many other Japanese people was Yajima Kajiko, who started involving herself in the Women’s Christian Temperance Movement with the arrival of the organization through Mary Clement

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